UK: Gangs of sex abusers targeting vulnerable children are operating across the country, MPs warned

Professor Jay's report into the Rotherham abuse scandal revealed
child protection staff did not speak out about Asian gangs

Vulnerable teenagers are being sexually assaulted by gangs of men in towns and cities across the country, the child protection expert who exposed the scale of abuse in Rotherham told MPs today.

Professor Alexis Jay was in the Commons following her bombshell report in August which revealed around 1,400 children had been raped and abused by gangs of Asian men in the South Yorkshire town. She said the level of abuse went unreported for 16 years because staff feared they would be seen as racist.

But speaking today Professor Jay said the problem was not confined to Rotherham. Asked by MPs whether the abuse was happening in towns and cities elsewhere in the country, she said: ‘Yes I do believe that. I certainly don’t think Rotherham is unique.’

Children as young as 11 were trafficked, beaten, and raped by large numbers of men between 1997 and 2013 in Rotherham. More than a third of the cases were already know to agencies.  (more...)

UK: Gangs of sex abusers targeting vulnerable children are operating across the country, MPs warned